I'm Aidan — 21, born and raised in Florida, and obsessed with how things work. My trading journey started in the 2021 GameStop and AMC squeeze, where it clicked that markets are the world's biggest puzzle. I couldn't take the traditional finance path, so I built my own: everything I know is self-taught, across stocks, options, crypto, forex, and now futures — my primary focus.
The Evidence Desk is the community I wish I'd had: a place to build and pressure-test strategies backed by data, not hype or social-media "gurus." I'm still a student of the markets — always researching, always building, always hunting the next edge through evidence.
Read my full story
Hi, I'm Aidan Mathis. I'm 21 years old, born and raised in Florida, and if there's one thing that's defined my life so far, it's curiosity. Whether it's traveling somewhere new, building software, diving into financial markets, or picking up a new hobby, I've always been drawn to learning how things work — and how they can be improved.
My journey into trading began during the GameStop short squeeze in 2021. Like millions of others, I watched history unfold in real time. I bought into AMC, made money, and experienced something I had never felt before. It wasn't just the profit that hooked me — it was the realization that financial markets are one of the world's largest puzzles. Every chart, every trade, every decision had a story behind it. From that moment on, I wanted to understand the game at the deepest level possible.
Originally, I dreamed of working in investment banking or institutional finance. Life, however, had other plans. I wasn't handed the strongest academic or financial circumstances, so instead of taking the traditional path, I built my own.
Everything I know has been self-taught. Over the years, I've immersed myself in nearly every style of trading imaginable — stocks, options, cryptocurrencies, forex, and, most recently, futures, which has become my primary focus. Each market taught me something different, but they all led me to the same conclusion.
Human emotion is one of the biggest obstacles to consistent trading. Fear. Greed. Hesitation. Overconfidence. Every trader battles them. That's what eventually led me into algorithmic trading.
Algorithms don't get emotional. They don't hesitate. They don't chase trades or panic during volatility. They execute exactly as they're designed to, often in milliseconds, following rules that have been researched, tested, and refined. Once I discovered quantitative trading, everything clicked. I realized this wasn't just another trading style — it was the logical evolution of trading itself.
Today, my passion lies in designing, testing, and building systematic trading strategies that rely on data instead of opinions. That philosophy became the foundation for The Evidence Desk.
I created this community because I believe there's a better way to learn than sorting through endless hype, unrealistic promises, and social media "gurus." My goal is to build a place where traders, developers, quantitative researchers, and curious minds can collaborate, share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build strategies backed by evidence.
I don't believe valuable knowledge should be locked away forever. If I've spent thousands of hours solving a problem, testing an idea, or building a tool that can genuinely help someone else, I'm happy to share it with people who value the work and are serious about improving.
At the end of the day, I'm still a student of the markets. I'm constantly researching, constantly building, and constantly looking for the next edge — not through hype, but through evidence. If that sounds like the kind of journey you want to be part of, welcome to The Evidence Desk.
